“What It Takes” follows the Republicans and Democrats vying for the presidency in 1988. Cramer tries to get inside the candidates’ heads to illustrate what it’s like to run for president — a perspective that any potential campaign worker would benefit from knowing.

“Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time” by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz

While not specifically about politics or government, the third book suggested by Carignan teaches readers how to develop critical networking skills.

The book “offers some guidance on building relationships, which we know is critical to finding political jobs,” she said.

Ferrazzi and Raz share some of their insights from running Ferrazzi Greenlight, which helps clients to strategically manage their relationships. Establishing relationships with the right people can be the key to finding the best jobs and then snagging them, and the authors identify the steps to making the most of human connections.

“For job seekers, this book may be helpful in developing networking skills that might land them a political job in D.C.,” Carignan said.